


or so I have been told

by LJF



Series: we all want love/we all want honor [3]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Uses of Bending, Avatar Roku - Freeform, Avatar State, Behind the Scenes, Bending (Avatar), Blind Character, Bonding, Canon Rewrite, During Canon, Episode: s01e07-08 Winter Solstice, Field Trip, Finally, Friendship, Gen, Guys I think this is Toph's ACTUAL Life-Changing Field Trip with Zuko TM, Life-Changing Field Trips With Zuko, Nearly three years on a boat together, Platonic Romance, Pre-Relationship, Protective Zuko (Avatar), Protectiveness, Rescue Missions, Sneaky Toph Beifong, Someone going off alone with Zuko on a dangerous mission, Stubborn Zuko (Avatar), Sunshine - Freeform, Team Dynamics, Temple, Toph Beifong Being Awesome, Toph Beifong and Zuko Bonding, Volcanoes, Wait would this count as Toph's life-changing field trip with Zuko?, Winter Solstice, and I think this is the first time they go off on a crazy adventure with just the two of them, and we end with, both people knowing more about who they are and what they're capable of, but little hints of romance, cool uses of bending, just a tiny bit, let's see, lots of peril and death-defying, maybe? - Freeform, mostly - Freeform, than they did before, that could totally be seen as platonic, we have:
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-25
Updated: 2020-09-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:27:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,605
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26647501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LJF/pseuds/LJF
Summary: On the winter solstice, Zuko decided torisk his lifein his zeal to chase down the Avatar.Toph did not approve.(Also, the two of them found something they could actually dotogether.)
Relationships: Toph Beifong & Zuko
Series: we all want love/we all want honor [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936222
Comments: 18
Kudos: 326





	or so I have been told

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SeleneMoon](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeleneMoon/gifts).



> Because this was another one she asked for.
> 
> Surprise! I was _going_ to wait until Sunday to post this, but it was just sitting on my computer staring at me with Aang's puppy dog eyes (you know [the ones I'm talking about](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/6e/16/7e/6e167e865702bbc3646e07935e4738fc.jpg)), _begging_ me to post it now. IDK when the next story will be up, though.
> 
> Toph would like it to be known that, while she's all for adventures and thrill-seeking, she does _not_ condone _willfully risking one's life_ in a bout of single-minded drive and sheer obstinancy.  
> That is all.
> 
> (In case you were wondering, Toph wasn't around for the whole "capture of Iroh" thing in part one of the Winter Solstice. Hot springs aren't really her thing, and she totally slept through Zuko's whole rescue mission. (He's too hardheaded to actually ask an _earthbender_ for help when he knows he's going to be facing off with a bunch of _earthbenders_.) She was _not_ happy when she found out afterwards. Hence why she's so determined to go with him in this chapter.)
> 
> (Also, I don't know much about martial arts, so all descriptions of bending forms are left purposely vague, based on the general styles I _did_ understand while watching the show.)

_"It rolls in from the sea."_

_\- Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, "Winter Song"_

Toph didn't really get the whole 'solstice' thing. Like, apparently the sun shone different amount on different days-- unless you were at the equator, in which case it was the same every day-- and there were certain days that, depending on whether you were above or below that imaginary line (she didn't get the whole 'equator' thing, either), were either the longest or shortest days of the year?

Sounded like a 'seeing people thing.'

But for the people of the Fire Nation, who lived and died by the sun's rays, the solstices were regarded as spiritual omens. Things of great importance-- whether for good or ill-- were supposedly revealed on those days. They were considered times set aside for meditation and inner contemplation.

However, Sparky wasn't exactly in the mood to sit around and indulge in some peaceful self-discovery.

She walked onto the deck just in time to hear Uncle complain about the stench of their projectile.

 _Yick, it really_ does _stink._

"You couldn't talk him out of it?" Toph whispered to Uncle. The two of them had spent _hours_ arguing about it last night, and they'd _still_ been going at it when she finally fell asleep. To no avail, apparently.

"He's going to get himself killed," Uncle Iroh muttered. She felt Zuko tense up.

"A blockade!"

Uncle made a few more attempts to talk Zuko out of this _insane_ plan of his. (Toph had spent enough time with her royal tutors to know that banishment was _serious business_. Crossing into Fire Nation waters while in exile was like standing in a crowded room yelling "Here I am! Please kill me!" In other words, _not a good idea_.)

Meanwhile, the naval blockade had their own catapults. She _assumed_ they were trying to hit the Avatar (who was probably around here somewhere), but they didn't seem to mind if they _also_ hit Zuko's ship in the process. Luckily, the projectiles appeared to be nothing more than giant flaming rocks, so she was able to redirect most of them.

Unfortunately, the boulders were flying through the _air_ at quick speeds, and were being shot at them from _boats_ , which she couldn't _feel_ across the water. Which meant she couldn't really sense the things until they were nearly on top of them.

She felt the ship shudder as one of those _stinking_ rocks hit its side.

One of the engineers came running out, shouting that the engine was damaged.

_Yikes._

Zuko, stubborn as ever, insisted on continuing along.

 _Some days, I think that boy should have been born an Earthbender._ (But then again, he was a little too hotheaded, and not very good at _listening_.)

 _What on earth?_ As they sailed past the blockade, she realized there was something wrong. The other ships..... their engines were _quiet_.

_They let us pass. Why?_

Uncle, the former military _tactician_ , understood, of course.

 _Zhao's using us as_ bait _!_

"This is a bad idea," she told Uncle. "At this rate, he's going to get himself captured, killed, or _worse _."__

"I know," the old man said, sighing. "But what can I do?"

"Nothing," Toph told him. "Leave this one to me."

As Zuko's little boat slipped away, sight unseen, he didn't realize that he was not the only passenger.

Quietly, Toph followed Zuko through the tunnels into the temple. _For someone so good at sneaking around himself, you'd think he'd be better at noticing when he's being tailed._

She stayed behind a pillar, out of _sight_ , as Zuko grabbed the Avatar. She winced as the _airbender_ sent him spinning down the staircase. _That's gotta hurt._ But Sparky wasn't in any _real_ danger, not yet, so she stayed where she was.

 _Uh-oh, company._ Zhao was here.

_What do I do now?_

She _could_ take advantage of the element of surprise, trapping Zhao and his men in solid stone. But then it would be her and Zuko against Zhao, his six guards, the Avatar's two companions, and at least one Fire Sage (she wasn't sure which of them the other four sages would side with), and she didn't think she liked those odds. She'd never faced off against _nearly_ that many opponents.

But she was Toph Beifong. She was _Earth_. She knew how to be patient, how to wait for the exact moment to strike. _Let's see what happens next_.

Zhao had Zuko chained up to a _separate_ pillar from the Avatar's companions. _Perfect._

* * *

He'd been caught. _Trapped._ What was he going to do now?

" _Pst, Sparky_." Zuko _recognized_ that voice.

"La-"

" _Sh! Up here!_ " He looked up. Higher on the pillar, sticking out horizontally with feet pressed to the pillar as if she was _glued_ to it, was Lady Toph. She waved. " _Wait 'til they're distracted, and then I'll get you out of here._ "

He nodded. Escape first, questions later.

The distraction they'd been waiting for came just a few minutes later, when the doors opened. Zhao and the others were so focused on the Avatar, they didn't notice the little earthbender _walking_ down towards Zuko. She twisted her outstretched fists, and the chains just..... _snapped_.

"What did you _do_?" Zuko hissed.

"I freed you, obviously," Lady Toph said, "How about a little gratitude?"

"But-- the chains-- what _was_ that?" He'd never seen anything like it.

"Metalbending. It's a thing, I invented it, we can talk about it later, let's get _out_ of here!"

Before they could move, the Avatar (was that Avatar _Roku_?) released a wave of _fire_.

_Lady Toph!_

The girl wasn't a firebender, she didn't have the natural heat resistance he did. If those flames hit her, she would _burn_.

( _Burning_ pain _Please_ stop _Sorry_ pain)

Without a second thought, he wrapped his arms around her petite frame and _twisted_ so that his back would take the brunt of the incoming flames.

_Oh?_

The fire..... it was _warm_ , but it didn't _burn_. Didn't _hurt_. He looked down and realized the broken chains had been reduced to ashes. _What just-?_

"Come _on_ , Sparky!" Lady Toph grabbed his hand and started running. "This whole place is about to explode! We gotta _go_!" He followed after her, feeling the temple floor rumbling beneath his feet. _Is the volcano.... about to erupt?_

The two of them ran through the halls of the collapsing temple, trying to escape. They'd _almost_ made it. He could _see_ his little boat. _Just a little farther....._

Suddenly, a river of lava erupted _right_ in front of them. _No!_

They were trapped. He and Lady Toph were going to _die_ here, and it was _all his fault._

_(Your fault. Always your fault.)_

"Why did you follow me?" Zuko demanded. "If you'd just stayed out the ship with Uncle-"

"Quit your whining, Prince Hothead, and _help_ me!"

He stared at her. _That stance....._

"Lady Toph, are you trying to _bend lava_?" What in the name of all the spirits-?

" _Obviously_ ," she said. "I never really got the hang of it back when we lived in the Capital, and I'm out of practice. I can _almost_ move the rock, but it's too hot.... there's too much _fire_ in it. I need you to do this _with_ me!"

_What?_

She was _crazy_. Everyone knew you couldn't bend _lava_.

Except, the Avatar was obviously doing just that.

But that was the _Avatar_. Regular people couldn't do something like that. _(Your firebending is_ weak _. Why can't you be more like your sister?)_

Lavabending was _impossible_ \-- but five minutes earlier, he would've said the same thing about bending metal, and yet Lady Toph had done just that.

_If anyone can do the impossible, it's her._

"Are you going to help, or are we just going to die here?" _Think later, act now_.

He bent his arms, using sharp movements to try and draw the heat away. Beside him, Lady Toph almost looked as though she were _dancing_ , moving the cooled magma out from in front of them.

Within a minute, they had a clear path back to the boat.

"What are you looking at?" Lady Toph stood next to him on the deck of their little boat, en route to the meeting point he'd arranged with Uncle.

_What do you mean-- oh._

Sometimes, he forgot that, as competent as she could be, Lady Toph was still _blind_.

"It's the Avatar," he said, sighing. "He's getting away."

"Another day," she said, patting his arm. "You're both alive, and you're both free. You'll get your chance." Then she yawned.

"Are you.... okay?" He'd never paid much attention, but he had the impression that Lady Toph kept strange hours.

"Yeah, I'm just going to lie down for a bit. Wake me when we reach the ship." She turned to head down to the cabin, then paused and pointed at him. "And _don't_ tell anyone about the metalbending. I don't need anyone pestering me about it, you got that?"

"Yes, ma'am."

Zuko, Crown Prince of the Fire Nation, leaned back against the wall and stared at the last few remaining rays of the setting sun. It had been a long day. He'd risked his life in his latest attempt to capture the Avatar, and he had nothing to show for it.

In other words, it had been a day _wasted_.

And yet......

He thought about the girl sleeping below. He thought about the moment he'd seen her do the impossible.

He thought about the moment _he'd_ done the impossible _with_ her.

And somehow, he couldn't bring himself to regret this 'wasted' day.

_"My words will be your light, to carry you to me."_

_\- Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michaelson, "Winter Song"_

**Author's Note:**

> Look at that, we actually got some Zuko POV in this one. Writing his internal angst/trauma was interesting. (And yes, even in his head, he can't call her anything but Lady Toph. It's a problem.)
> 
> Yes, my interpretation of the relationship between the Fire Nation and the solstices in this one is different than how I've depicted it in _Between the Emotion and the Response_. I feel like this one makes a lot of sense-- ever notice how, in canon, only the Fire Nation seems to care much about the solstices? There are _three_ mentions of a solstice ("The Winter Solstice," "The Avatar and the Fire Lord," and "The Firebending Masters") in the entire show, and all are used in connection with fire and/or firebenders. But we also don't see any festivals or anything going on (although that could be because Zuko isn't exactly in the mood to party), so maybe they're not _celebrated_ , just regarded as _important_.
> 
> So I didn't realize until I was writing this chapter that the _reason_ Zuko's ship made such a large smokescreen in this episode was _because_ the engine was damaged in Zhao's attack.
> 
> (Remember that this is _before_ the events of _you don't get what all this is about_ , so Toph doesn't yet have any real motivation to capture Aang. Making sure Sparky's safe? Absolutely. Ensuring that he's got the Avatar along? Not so much.)
> 
> And apparently that whole climbing the walls thing I have Toph doing here is a canonical Earthbender ability. (Earthbenders can magnetize their limbs to stone, allowing them to literally walk up walls. (See [_The Lost Scrolls: Earth_](https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Scrolls-Earth-Avatar/dp/1416918779) for more info.))
> 
> (Of _course_ Roku's fire wasn't actually going to hurt them, but _Zuko_ didn't know that. Not to mention that it made for an _adorable_ image. If anyone out there wants to make fanart for this series, they should totally do this scene.) (Or the lavabending-- the idea of two of them working together to bend is _so_ cool, thanks again to SeleneMoon for the idea!)
> 
> Also, anyone notice that Toph never actually calls Zuko "Sparky" in the show? I think it's just one of those headcanons that have become ubiquitous in fanfiction (like "Agni"). Not to mention that Toph doesn't always use the _same_ nicknames, even if they're similar in nature (for example, she calls Katara both "Sugar Queen" and "Sweetness" at separate points in the series). So while "Sparky" may be her go-to nickname for Zuko in this universe, she'll switch to another if she feels it more appropriate at the time. (Yes, I actually spend time thinking about these things. I have _way_ too much time on my hands.) (Uncle, on the other hand, doesn't get any nicknames. He's just "Uncle.")
> 
> On lavabending: In ATLA, it's something we only really see Avatars do. Meanwhile, in LOK, we do have a couple of people who can bend lava, but they're all earthbenders, which doesn't sit right with me. You're telling me that _earth_ benders can not only control super-heated rock, but also turn _regular old pebbles_ into molten magma. _Seriously?_ I saw a cool post which pointed out that even though Bolin is Earth, his _mother_ was Fire, so the lavabending is actually a reflection of his biracial heritage. I'm not sure I buy that, but it's an interesting idea, nonetheless.  
> Anyway, I decided that, in this AU, Toph _can_ bend lava, but mostly only the cooler stuff. Anything as hot as you'd see from an _erupting volcano_ is a little much for her to do on her own. (And no, she cannot _make her own lava_. That whole idea is _seriously_ ridiculous-- even if igneous rock _did_ come from magma, it can't just _turn back_ , not all rocks are igneous, and why should an _earth_ bender be able to heat _anything_ up, especially to _that_ degree?)
> 
> Come hit me up on [tumblr](https://ljf613.tumblr.com/)!


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